1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recording material supply device and image forming apparatus. More particularly, the present invention relates to a recording material supply device easily loadable with plural magazines for recording materials such as photographic paper, and image forming apparatus having the recording material supply device.
2. Description Related to the Prior Art
A photographic printer as image forming apparatus is used in a photo laboratory, for example a printer-processor composite machine in which a photographic paper processor is combined with the printer. A photographic paper magazine is removably set on the printer, and contains a roll of photographic paper as recording material. The printer prints an image to the photographic paper unwound and advanced from the magazine. The photographic paper is subjected to color development and dried, to produce photographic prints. The magazine has a size predetermined according to the maximum web width of the photographic paper in use. Conventionally used types of magazines have a considerably large side, so only one or two magazines can be set in a supply device of the photographic paper for the printer. In addition, only one or two sizes are available for the photographic paper for the purpose of image recording without exchanging magazines in the printer. If the photographic paper of a size different from that of the loaded type of the photographic paper, the exchange of magazines is required.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,438,388 (corresponding to JP-A 6-347913) disclose an example of the photographic printer with a magazine from which the photographic paper is advanced in a direction perpendicular to a transporting path for image forming with the photographic paper. U.S. Pat. No. 5,934,167 (corresponding to JP-A 7-261281) discloses examples of the printer in which plural magazines are disposed on two sides defined by the transporting path, and also arranged on the transporting path one after another.
However, the known types of the photographic printer have problems in their extremely great size due to the disposition of the magazines on one side or two sides of the transporting path. The printer of U.S. Pat. No. 5,438,388 (corresponding to JP-A 6-347913) includes a transporting direction changer for the purpose of suitably directing the photographic paper advanced perpendicularly to the transporting path for the printing. A problem arises in the complicated structure of the printer to increase a manufacturing cost. Also, a problem in U.S. Pat. No. 5,934,167 (corresponding to JP-A 7-261281) lies in that the transporting path is remarkably long to enlarge the printer considerably because of the great number of the magazines used at one time.